Read Too Hot For A Rake for Free Online Page B

sniffs.
    “Nonsense, my girl,” put in her father. “You’re only twenty. Eligible suitors will be hounding me for your hand once the news is out.”
    “I’ll never marry,” said Helena, her voice tinged with tragedy.
    The duchess ignored this foolish remark, for her mind had been occupied with the more practical task of finding a solution. “You know, Livy, your mention of Land’s End has given me an idea. My godmother lives there.”
    Helena heaved an exasperated sigh. “I know you’re trying to help, Mother, but what has that to do with…with anything?”
    Her mother went on as if Helena hadn’t spoken. “I last saw her when I visited some twenty years ago with my dear mother, rest her soul, but we still exchange Christmas greetings. She lives alone in a castle overlooking the sea. She would no doubt welcome a visit from you.”
    “You can’t be sure she’d have me, Mother. What of the marquis? He might well object.”
    “Her only son died last year, but her grandson has just returned from his travels to assume his father’s duties,” put in Sebastian.
    “How do you know, darling?”
    Sebastian looked at his wife and shook his head slightly as a warning to her to hold her tongue. “I made his acquaintance just this morning. The home secretary introduced us.”
    “You won’t be in the way even if the new marquis is in residence, dear. It’s a very large castle. Besides, his grandmother will act as your chaperone,” persisted the duchess.
    “As you wish, Mother.” Helena showed little interest in the rest of the conversation.
    The duchess pressed on. “You’ll like it there, dearest. It’s near Sennen Cove, a charming little village where the English Channel meets St. George’s Channel.”
    Upon entering the drawing room, the duke heard this remark. “That area has a bad reputation. It’s known as a hotbed of smuggling activities.”
    “Not anymore, sir. There may be an occasional shipwreck in bad weather, but by and large, smuggling appears to have died out,” said Sebastian.
    The duke appeared to be satisfied with this answer.
    “If you crave anonymity, you couldn’t find a more suitable place to hide. No Londoner would be caught dead in such an out-of-the-way place, especially during the Season. But the decision is entirely yours,” said the duke.
    “It doesn’t matter to me where you send me, Father. One place is as good as another.”
    The duchess hastened to add, “I’ll write to the marchioness at once.”
    “Good idea, Mother.” Olivia rose to ring for the baby’s nurse. “You’ll have to give the lord of this manor to me, Father. It’s time for Tony to feed and then to nap, two of his favorite pastimes. And while he does, we can dine in peace.”
    Clinging to his grandfather, little Tony babbled in a language only he understood. “You’re welcome to the scamp, Livy. He’s had the audacity to wet my shirt.” But the duke didn’t seem to mind in the least, for he hugged the child and covered his face with kisses.
     
    Dinner was a somber affair, due to Helena’s lingering melancholy. Afterward, the women withdrew so that the duke and his son-in-law might enjoy their brandy.
    “What do you think of Land’s End, Sebastian? Is it a good idea to send Helena so far from her family?”
    “Assuming the dowager marchioness agrees to it, I believe it to be an ideal solution.”
    “I knew old Waverley,” the duke said. “A dour man. He held a seat in Parliament, but rarely made any speeches. He had a terrible row with his only son and the young fool ran away at an early age, I recall. Gossip had it that the lad led a wild life abroad.”
    “Wild lads grow up and often mend their ways, sir.”
    The duke chuckled. “I was a bit wild as a young whelp, too. Can’t fault a young ’un for that, can we? It’s how he behaves now that counts.”
    “I met the marquis this morning, sir,” Sebastian reminded his father-in-law.
    “What did you think of him?”
    “I liked